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Ruger Redhawk
The Ruger Redhawk, following the style of its parent company, Sturm, Ruger and Co., is a heavy-frame revolver firing the large and powerful .44 Magnum cartridge. It was used by Burt Gummer. Description The Ruger Redhawk is a double/single action large frame revolver that was first introduced in 1979 by Sturm, Ruger & Company. Made from high grade steel, it is available with either a blued or stainless steel finish. The Redhawk is reinforced to handle extra stress, making it very popular for use by handloaders as it handles the hottest of Magnum loads with ease. In addition, the cylinder, itself, is longer than most competitors', allowing ammunition to be loaded to a longer overall length. This allows for either increased powder capacity, heavier (and therefore longer) bullets without compromising the powder load, or a combination of both. Custom ammunition manufacturers even have loads made specifically for Ruger revolvers that cannot fit in shorter chambers or revolvers of weaker construction (such as the Smith & Wesson). This makes the Redhawk popular as a bear defense gun among hunters and trappers. The Redhawk was the first large-bore double action revolver made by Ruger. It was designed by Harry Sefried who previously worked for High Standard Manufacturing Company where he designed the High Standard Sentinel revolver. The grip profile of the Sentinel was used on the "Six" line of Ruger .357 double action revolvers, which included the Speed Six, Security Six, and Service Six. These revolvers were produced from 1970 to 1988, and were unlike other double action revolvers in that they used a one piece frame, rather than a removable sideplate, which lent them superior strength. The Redhawk, introduced in 1980, was a scaled up and improved version of the Security Six, the target model, with a square butt grip, adjustable sights, and 5.5 and 7.5 inch barrel lengths. The Redhawk was available in blued or stainless steel, and was primarily used by handgun hunters. The Redhawk, designed for long term use with the heaviest .44 Magnum loads, included a new latch at the crane, to firmly lock the cylinder at front and rear, a feature last seen in the Smith & Wesson triple lock design, discontinued in 1915. The Ruger Redhawk uses modern coil springs design instead of old fashioned leaf springs that are found in most modern revolvers. The revolvers also used a single spring for both the hammer and the trigger, and this meant that the force required to pull the trigger was higher than similar offerings from other manufacturers, and there was no way to adjust or correct this as it was inherent in the single-spring design. The revolver has forward ramp sights with four different interchangeable sight inserts. The rear sights are fully adjustable featuring a white outline. The Redhawk is available with scope mounts and rings. The Redhawk holds six rounds of ammunition in its cylinder and until recently was available with a 4 inch, 5.5 inch, or 7.5 inch barrel. A 4.2 inch barrel was also recently added to accommodate the Canadian rules for minimum barrel length (the same was later done for the GP 100 revolver) When introduced it was only offered in .44 Magnum/.44 Special. Later on .41 Magnum, .357 Magnum/.38 Special, and .45 Colt were added to the lineup. Gradually options in chambering were pared down, and by 2007 the Redhawk was again only offered in .44 Magnum. However, in 2008 Sturm, Ruger & Co. once again began marketing the Redhawk in .45 Colt chambering. Category:Revolvers Category:Guns Category:Weapons